Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-17
In tho pope,s Presence.

A lady In this city has Just received
letter from her daughter in Rome, Italy,
giving an account of an audience with
the Pope at the Vatican. The follow.
ing extract will be read with interest:
Wednesday Mrs. s., Miss de B., G..
and received our invitations to the
Pope's audience. Now, when tell you
that several Catholics in the house, and
one of them with letters from Cardinal
and an Archbishop, have been trying fer
weeks and have not yet succeeded in
obtaining the same favor. you can imag-
inc how fortunate we felt ourselves.
think told you of an in
terview Miss de B. and l had with Mon.
siguor delle Volpe. one Of the most
charming, courtly men ever met As
had strong letter from Monsignor
Ireland, he treated us with every atten.
tion. He promised us we
should have an audience and nobly full
filed his word. 1 received charming
little note from Mr.. Cassell, one of the
Pope's Chamberlains, congratulating me
upon nay success.
Thursday at IL o'clock we left for the
Vatican dressed all in black-no gloves,
no hat, but my big Spanish comb holding
a lace mantilla on my head; no jewelry,
but several strings of rosaries on our
arms, which we desired blessed. l am
sorry to say G.. absolutely refused to go;
he said he could kneelIto no man. He
had told the Chamberlain so before, and
he refused to have his name handed in;
but did it quietly, hoping he would re.
lent. He told Mr.. c. that, since
being in Rome, he has so much higher
an opinion of the Church, that he,
being Protestant, could usurp no bles-
sing for which SO many Catholics were
anxiously awaiting, and only thirty are
allowed at each audience. Monsignor delle
Volpe told me try to every way to have
him come, hoping that the Holy Fathers
blessing would work wonders in
bringing him into the faith, but G.'s
obstinacy proved stronger than my
powers of persuasion. We
reached the Vatican, passed numerous
guards with our magic permisso, entered
the first ante.chamber, where several
red.damask suited and Gorgeous individu-
ais helped us to doff our cloaks; and then
black clothed, solemn parsonage con.
Quoted us through beautifully furnished
and enormous chamber into tapestry
hung room. magnfcently frescoed,
where. with twenty.seven others.
we waited the Pontiff's pleasure.
While there, pompous Cardinal passed
from the presence OF his Holiness, upon
which all rose until he had passed
through. After waiting some little
time, the same solemn individual
who had previously conducted
us, summoned us onward, and we
marched through second waiting room,
and then into the presence of the Holy
Father, where we knelt upon entering,
and again second time as we reached
the middle of the room; we were then
conducted by Monsignor dele Volpe to
the head of the Catholic Church, frail,
feeble old man, dressed entirely in
white, seated upon handsome throne,
looking so kind and benevolent that an
honest wish to kneel, as well as the de.
mands of etiquette, made me sink at his
feet. Mrs. s. and Miss de B
held his right hand, while with his left
he held mine as kindly and lovingly as
my own grandfather might have done.
When we knelt at his feet, all cere.
mony ceased. The monarch disappeared,
kindly old man taking his place.
Upon being introduced by the Monsig
nor, he said, in French: "Protestants!
and from America!" and inquired just
where we were from, and asked where
my husband was.
l told him honestly, he could not
come.
But why. my child; why?"
Monsignor dele Volpe explained, and
he (the Pope) said to me:
"But you desire my blessing. do you
not, my daughter?"
Ireplied: ''Indeed do. my father"
"Well, you shall have it"
He then laid his right hand softly
upon each bent head with few words,
afterward giving us each his hand, with
the ring to kiss.
Then he said to me: "Have you any
children?"
mo, my father"
"Well, 1 send my blessing to your
husband"
And with one or two more kind words
he dismissed us. We retired backward,
passed through six of his noble guards,
and SO out, the experience thus tecom.
ing one of the past. All l
can say is that if I, being a Protestant,
could feel as did at the dear old mans
feet and when that hand which wields
such power in all parts of the globe was
laid so kindly on my head. don't know
what the sensation of Catholics must be.
-[San Francisco Bulletin.